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Memo Gidley has extensive experience in nearly every form of automobile road racing in the United States. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Grand-Am: Gidley joins Gainsco for Rolex 24

December 18, 2011

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Memo Gidley will join Alex Gurnery and John Fogerty behind the wheel of the Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing No. 99 Corvette Daytona Prototype for the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Jan. 26-29, 2012.

Gidley replaces five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who partnered with Gurney and Fogerty in the last four runnings of the Rolex 24.

"As soon as Jimmie told me he wanted to take a year off from the 24, I immediately thought of Memo," team owner Bob Stallings said in a statement. "We have known him a long time, he's a really solid driver, and I have always held him in high regard. He's just a terrific person, gets along really well with Alex and Jon, and is awesome on the track. He rarely lays a tire off the track. We just had a test in Texas last week, and Memo was just as solid as expected. We feel very good about our driver lineup."

Gidley has extensive experience in nearly every form of automobile road racing in the United States, including Grand-Am Daytona Prototype competition. He joined then-teammate Michael McDowell for a victory in the season-ending race at Mexico City in 2005 in a Finlay Motorsports Riley-BMW, in addition to driving for other top Daytona Prototype teams in the following years.

"I am super pumped to be racing for Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing," Gidley said. "They have been a team that is always in contention for a win or a championship, and as a driver, this is a great environment to be in. It was very exciting to get a call from Bob asking if I would be interested in driving for him in the 24. His first question was whether I am ready for this. I told him I was ready last year . . . last month . . . and I'm ready now, so let's do it. In the short time talking to and being around Bob, I realized that he is a great motivator and has fantastic energy that I believe is a key to his team's success. I am really looking forward to being a part of the 50th Rolex 24 with such a great team."

Gurney, who won the pole for the 2007 Rolex 24, is more than pleased with the arrival of his newest teammate.

"We are very excited to have Memo join our team," Gurney said. "He has all the attributes we look for in order to help us win the Rolex 24 at Daytona. He is very quick, is a team player, has lots of experience in Daytona Prototypes, stays out of trouble on the racetrack, is solid in all conditions and is a nice guy on top of all that. When he showed up at our shakedown test, he fit in right away."

Last week's two-day test at Texas World Speedway was the first time the team's new Corvette turned a wheel. All three drivers put in some laps during what was primarily a shakedown run.

"The Texas test went extremely well," Stallings said. "Obviously, this is a car that we have to get familiar with. There are things that we have to learn about it, and I suspect it will take two or three races for us to get a good handle on the car. Beyond that, the manufacturers themselves are doing a lot of learning. They have done a terrific job so far. When you think about how far they went from design to getting the car on the track, it's a pretty short period of time."

Gidley didn't get a lot of time in the Gainsco Corvette in Texas but quickly found the car to his liking.

"I really enjoyed being at the test at Texas World Speedway and driving the new Corvette Daytona Prototype," Gidley said. "I saw pictures of the new Corvette body and thought immediately that the car looked fantastic. Then, when I saw it next to the old Riley body in the Gainsco shop, it immediately made the old Riley look like a vintage car. It was exciting to take the car out for laps for the first time at Texas, and I really liked how it felt."

Gainso concludes its 2011 on-track schedule on Tuesday at Daytona International Speedway but will return early in the new year for the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Jan. 6-8.